U.S. patent application number 14/918050 was filed with the patent office on 2017-04-20 for systems and methods for sampling data at a non-volatile memory system.
This patent application is currently assigned to SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is SanDisk Technologies Inc.. Invention is credited to Chris Aviala, Gautam Dusija, Anne Pao-LIng Koh, Dana Lee, Guirong Liang, Deepak Raghu, Harish Singidi.
Application Number | 20170109040 14/918050 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58523769 |
Filed Date | 2017-04-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170109040 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Raghu; Deepak ; et
al. |
April 20, 2017 |
Systems and Methods for Sampling Data at a Non-Volatile Memory
System
Abstract
Systems and methods for sampling data at a non-volatile memory
system are disclosed. In one implementation, a controller of a
non-volatile memory system that is coupled with a host device
acquires a read level voltage of a first word line of a memory
block of a non-volatile memory of the non-volatile memory system.
The controller accesses one or more lookup tables to determine an
offset voltage for a second word line of the memory block based on
a program/erase count and a read/disturb count associated with the
memory block; applies the read level voltage and the offset voltage
to the second word line to sample data stored at the memory block;
and determines whether the data sampled from the memory block
contains errors.
Inventors: |
Raghu; Deepak; (Milpitas,
CA) ; Aviala; Chris; (Saratoga, CA) ; Singidi;
Harish; (Santa Clara, CA) ; Liang; Guirong;
(Santa Clara, CA) ; Koh; Anne Pao-LIng; (Femont,
CA) ; Lee; Dana; (Saratoga, CA) ; Dusija;
Gautam; (Milpitas, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SanDisk Technologies Inc. |
Plano |
TX |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Plano
TX
|
Family ID: |
58523769 |
Appl. No.: |
14/918050 |
Filed: |
October 20, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0619 20130101;
G11C 29/028 20130101; G11C 29/021 20130101; G06F 3/061 20130101;
G06F 3/0647 20130101; G06F 3/0679 20130101; G11C 16/26 20130101;
G11C 11/5642 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/06 20060101
G06F003/06 |
Claims
1. In a controller of a non-volatile memory system that is coupled
with a host device, a method comprising: acquiring a read level
voltage of a first word line of a memory block of a non-volatile
memory of the non-volatile memory system; accessing one or more
lookup tables to determine an offset voltage for a second word line
of the memory block based on a program/erase count and a
read/disturb count associated with the memory block; applying the
read level voltage and the offset voltage to the second word line
to sample data stored at the memory block; and determining whether
the data sampled from the memory block contains errors.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory block comprises single
level memory cells.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to
determining that the memory block does not contain errors, copying
the data of the memory block to a new memory block.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the new memory block comprises
multi level memory cells.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the multi level memory cells are
triple level memory cells.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: updating the one or
more lookup tables to adjust the offset voltage between the first
word line and the second word line.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more lookup tables are
updated in response to a determination that a number of errors in
the data stored at the memory block exceeds a threshold.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more lookup tables are
updated periodically after a defined number of operations at the
non-volatile memory system.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein updating the one or more lookup
tables comprises: acquiring a read level voltage relationship
between the word lines of the memory block.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein empirical data collected at the
non-volatile memory system is analyzed to acquire the read level
voltage relationships between the word lines of the memory
block.
11. An apparatus comprising: a non-volatile memory; and a
controller in communication with the non-volatile memory, the
controller configured to: acquire a read level voltage of a first
word line of a memory block of the non-volatile memory; determine
an offset voltage for a second word line of the memory block based
on one or more characteristics of the memory block; and sample data
stored at the memory block using the read level voltage and the
offset voltage.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more
characteristics of the memory block comprises at least one of a
life stage of the memory block, a program/erase count of the memory
block, a program/disturb count of the memory block, a read/disturb
count of the memory block, or a level of data retention of the
memory block.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is further
configured to update the offset voltage between the first word line
and the second word line of the memory block based on one or more
characteristics of the memory block.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured
to update the offset voltage in response to a determination that a
number of errors in the data sampled from the memory block exceeds
a threshold.
15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured
to periodically update the offset voltage after a defined number of
operations at the non-volatile memory system.
16. In a controller of a non-volatile memory system that is coupled
with a host device, a method comprising: updating one or more
lookup tables to reflect a relationship between a read level
voltage of a first word line of a memory block of a non-volatile
memory of the non-volatile memory system and a read level voltage
of a second word line of the memory block; wherein the relationship
between the read level voltage of the first word line and the read
level voltage of the second word line is updated based on at least
one of a life stage of the memory block, a program/erase count of
the memory block, a program/disturb count of the memory block, a
read/disturb count of the memory block, or a level of data
retention of the memory block.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more lookup tables
are updated in response to a determination that a number of errors
in data stored at the memory block exceeds a threshold.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more lookup tables
are updated periodically after a defined number of operations at
the non-volatile memory system.
19. The method of claim 6, wherein updating the one or more lookup
tables comprises: analyzing empirical data collected at the
non-volatile memory system to acquire a read level voltage
relationship between the first word line and the second word line
of the memory block.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: collecting the
empirical data at the non-volatile memory system.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] In non-volatile memory systems, a controller performs
operations when moving data between different blocks of memory to
check for errors in the data. In many conventional procedures, a
controller of a non-volatile memory system may examine data at each
word line of a memory block prior to the transfer of data to check
for errors in the data. However, checking data at each word line of
a memory block prior to moving the data can be time consuming and
greatly reduce performance of the memory system.
[0002] In other conventional procedures, a controller of a
non-volatile memory system samples a limited amount of data at a
memory block for errors prior to transfer to a second memory block.
The controller then verifies the data stored at the second memory
block after the transfer. However, the additional read operations
after the transfer can also greatly reduce performance of the
memory system
[0003] More advance techniques for ensuring that data is correctly
transferred between different blocks of memory is desirable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an example non-volatile memory
system.
[0005] FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary storage
module.
[0006] FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating a hierarchical
storage system.
[0007] FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
of a controller of a non-volatile memory system.
[0008] FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
of a non-volatile memory of a non-volatile memory storage
system.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a representative circuit diagram of a memory cell
array.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates charge levels in a MLC memory operated to
store two bits of data in a memory cell.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates an example physical memory organization
of a memory bank.
[0012] FIG. 6 shows an expanded view of a portion of the physical
memory of FIG. 5.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of one implementation of a method for
sampling data stored at a memory block.
[0014] FIG. 8 is a flow chart of one method for generating and/or
updating one or more offset voltage lookup tables that include read
level voltage relationships between word lines of a memory
block.
[0015] FIG. 9 is a flow chart of another method for generating
and/or updating one or more offset voltage lookup tables that
include read level voltage relationships between word lines of a
memory block.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods
for sampling data at a non-volatile memory system. The non-volatile
memory systems described in the present application may utilize one
or more offset voltage lookup tables that allow a controller and a
read level voltage acquisition module of the controller to
efficiently verify data at a first memory block of the non-volatile
memory system before transferring the data to a second memory block
of the non-volatile memory system during operations such as
performing an on-chip copy operation.
[0017] As explained in more detail below, to efficiently verify
data, the controller and the read level voltage acquisition module
sample data stored at a memory block based on relationships between
word lines of the memory blocks and characteristics of the
non-volatile memory system such as a life stage of a memory block,
a program/erase count of a memory block, a program/disturb count of
a memory block, a read/disturb count of a memory block, and/or a
level of data retention at a memory block. Further, during
operation of the non-volatile memory system, the read level voltage
acquisition module is able to dynamically update the relationships
between the word lines of the memory blocks.
[0018] In a one embodiment, a method is disclosed. The elements of
the method occur in a controller of a non-volatile memory system
that is coupled with a host device. In the method, the controller
acquires a read level voltage of a first word line associated with
a memory block of a non-volatile memory of the non-volatile memory
system and accesses a lookup table to determine an offset voltage
for a second word line associated with the memory block based on a
program/erase count and a read/disturb count associated with the
memory block. The controller applies the read level voltage and the
offset voltage to the second word line to sample data stored at the
memory block and determines whether the data sampled from the
memory block contains errors.
[0019] In another embodiment, an apparatus comprising a
non-volatile memory and controller in communication with the
non-volatile memory is disclosed. The controller is configured to
acquire a read level voltage of a first word line of a memory block
of the non-volatile memory, determine an offset voltage for a
second word line of the memory block based on one or more
characteristics of the memory block, and sample data stored at the
memory block using the read level voltage and the offset
voltage.
[0020] In yet another embodiment, another method is disclosed. The
elements of the method occur in a controller of a non-volatile
memory system that is coupled with a host device. In the method,
the read level voltage acquisition module updates a lookup table to
reflect a relationship between a read level voltage of a first word
line of a memory block of the non-volatile memory of the
non-volatile memory system and a read level voltage of a second
word line of the memory block.
[0021] The controller updates the relationship between the read
level voltage of the first word line and the read level voltage of
the second word line based on at least one of a life stage of the
memory block, a program/erase count of the memory block, a
program/disturb count of the memory block, a read/disturb count of
the memory block, or a level of data retention of the memory
block.
[0022] Other embodiments are possible, and each of the embodiments
can be used alone or together in combination. Accordingly, various
embodiments will be described with reference to the attached
drawings.
[0023] Memory systems suitable for use in implementing aspects of
these embodiments are shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. FIG. 1A is a block
diagram illustrating a non-volatile memory system according to an
embodiment of the subject matter described herein. Referring to
FIG. 1A, non-volatile memory system 100 includes a controller 102
and non-volatile memory that may be made up of one or more
non-volatile memory die 104. As used herein, the term die refers to
the collection of non-volatile memory cells, and associated
circuitry for managing the physical operation of those non-volatile
memory cells, that are formed on a single semiconductor substrate.
Controller 102 interfaces with a host system and transmits command
sequences for read, program, and erase operations to non-volatile
memory die 104.
[0024] The controller 102 (which may be a flash memory controller)
can take the form of processing circuitry, a microprocessor or
processor, and a computer-readable medium that stores
computer-readable program code (e.g., software or firmware)
executable by the (micro)processor, logic gates, switches, an
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable
logic controller, and an embedded microcontroller, for example. The
controller 102 can be configured with hardware and/or firmware to
perform the various functions described below and shown in the flow
diagrams. Also, some of the components shown as being internal to
the controller can also be stored external to the controller, and
other components can be used. Additionally, the phrase "operatively
in communication with" could mean directly in communication with or
indirectly (wired or wireless) in communication with through one or
more components, which may or may not be shown or described
herein.
[0025] As used herein, a flash memory controller is a device that
manages data stored on flash memory and communicates with a host,
such as a computer or electronic device. A flash memory controller
can have various functionality in addition to the specific
functionality described herein. For example, the flash memory
controller can format the flash memory to ensure the memory is
operating properly, map out bad flash memory cells, and allocate
spare cells to be substituted for future failed cells. Some part of
the spare cells can be used to hold firmware to operate the flash
memory controller and implement other features. In operation, when
a host needs to read data from or write data to the flash memory,
it will communicate with the flash memory controller. If the host
provides a logical address to which data is to be read/written, the
flash memory controller can convert the logical address received
from the host to a physical address in the flash memory.
(Alternatively, the host can provide the physical address.) The
flash memory controller can also perform various memory management
functions, such as, but not limited to, wear leveling (distributing
writes to avoid wearing out specific blocks of memory that would
otherwise be repeatedly written to) and garbage collection (after a
block is full, moving only the valid pages of data to a new block,
so the full block can be erased and reused).
[0026] Non-volatile memory die 104 may include any suitable
non-volatile storage medium, including NAND flash memory cells
and/or NOR flash memory cells. The memory cells can take the form
of solid-state (e.g., flash) memory cells and can be one-time
programmable, few-time programmable, or many-time programmable. The
memory cells can also be single-level cells (SLC), multiple-level
cells (MLC), triple-level cells (TLC), or use other memory
technologies, now known or later developed. Also, the memory cells
can be arranged in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional
fashion.
[0027] The interface between controller 102 and non-volatile memory
die 104 may be any suitable flash interface, such as Toggle Mode
200, 400, or 800. In one embodiment, memory system 100 may be a
card based system, such as a secure digital (SD) or a micro secure
digital (micro-SD) card. In an alternate embodiment, memory system
100 may be part of an embedded memory system.
[0028] Although, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1A,
non-volatile memory system 100 includes a single channel between
controller 102 and non-volatile memory die 104, the subject matter
described herein is not limited to having a single memory channel.
For example, in some NAND memory system architectures, 2, 4, 8 or
more NAND channels may exist between the controller and the NAND
memory device, depending on controller capabilities. In any of the
embodiments described herein, more than a single channel may exist
between the controller and the memory die, even if a single channel
is shown in the drawings.
[0029] FIG. 1B illustrates a storage module 200 that includes
plural non-volatile memory systems 100. As such, storage module 200
may include a storage controller 202 that interfaces with a host
and with storage system 204, which includes a plurality of
non-volatile memory systems 100. The interface between storage
controller 202 and non-volatile memory systems 100 may be a bus
interface, such as a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)
or peripheral component interface express (PCIe) interface. Storage
module 200, in one embodiment, may be a solid state drive (SSD),
such as found in portable computing devices, such as laptop
computers, and tablet computers.
[0030] FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating a hierarchical
storage system. A hierarchical storage system 250 includes a
plurality of storage controllers 202, each of which controls a
respective storage system 204. Host systems 252 may access memories
within the storage system via a bus interface. In one embodiment,
the bus interface may be a non-volatile memory express (NVMe) or a
fiber channel over Ethernet (FCoE) interface. In one embodiment,
the system illustrated in FIG. 1C may be a rack mountable mass
storage system that is accessible by multiple host computers, such
as would be found in a data center or other location where mass
storage is needed.
[0031] FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
of controller 102 in more detail. Controller 102 includes a front
end module 108 that interfaces with a host, a back end module 110
that interfaces with the one or more non-volatile memory die 104,
and various other modules that perform functions which will now be
described in detail. A module may take the form of a packaged
functional hardware unit designed for use with other components, a
portion of a program code (e.g., software or firmware) executable
by a (micro)processor or processing circuitry that usually performs
a particular function of related functions, or a self-contained
hardware or software component that interfaces with a larger
system, for example.
[0032] Modules of the controller 102 may include a read level
voltage acquisition module 112 present on the die of the controller
102. As explained in more detail below in conjunction with FIGS.
7-9, the read level voltage acquisition module 112 may dynamically
determine relationships between word lines of a memory block based
on factors such as a life stage of the memory block, a
program/erase count of the memory block, a program/disturb count of
the memory block, a read/disturb count of the memory block, and/or
a level of data retention of the memory block. When a controller
102 and/or the read level voltage acquisition module 112 samples
data stored at the memory block, the read level voltage acquisition
module 112 acquires a read level voltage of a word line of a memory
block and then utilizes the acquired relationships for other word
lines of the memory block to sample data stored at the memory
block.
[0033] Referring again to modules of the controller 102, a buffer
manager/bus controller 114 manages buffers in random access memory
(RAM) 116 and controls the internal bus arbitration of controller
102. A read only memory (ROM) 118 stores system boot code. Although
illustrated in FIG. 2A as located separately from the controller
102, in other embodiments one or both of the RAM 116 and ROM 118
may be located within the controller. In yet other embodiments,
portions of RAM and ROM may be located both within the controller
102 and outside the controller. Further, in some implementations,
the controller 102, RAM 116, and ROM 118 may be located on separate
semiconductor die.
[0034] Front end module 108 includes a host interface 120 and a
physical layer interface (PHY) 122 that provide the electrical
interface with the host or next level storage controller. The
choice of the type of host interface 120 can depend on the type of
memory being used. Examples of host interfaces 120 include, but are
not limited to, SATA, SATA Express, SAS, Fibre Channel, USB, PCIe,
and NVMe. The host interface 120 typically facilitates transfer for
data, control signals, and timing signals.
[0035] Back end module 110 includes an error correction controller
(ECC) engine 124 that encodes the data bytes received from the
host, and decodes and error corrects the data bytes read from the
non-volatile memory. A command sequencer 126 generates command
sequences, such as program and erase command sequences, to be
transmitted to non-volatile memory die 104. A RAID (Redundant Array
of Independent Drives) module 128 manages generation of RAID parity
and recovery of failed data. The RAID parity may be used as an
additional level of integrity protection for the data being written
into the non-volatile memory system 100. In some cases, the RAID
module 128 may be a part of the ECC engine 124. A memory interface
130 provides the command sequences to non-volatile memory die 104
and receives status information from non-volatile memory die 104.
In one embodiment, memory interface 130 may be a double data rate
(DDR) interface, such as a Toggle Mode 200, 400, or 800 interface.
A flash control layer 132 controls the overall operation of back
end module 110.
[0036] Additional components of system 100 illustrated in FIG. 2A
include media management layer 138, which performs wear leveling of
memory cells of non-volatile memory die 104. System 100 also
includes other discrete components 140, such as external electrical
interfaces, external RAM, resistors, capacitors, or other
components that may interface with controller 102. In alternative
embodiments, one or more of the physical layer interface 122, RAID
module 128, media management layer 138 and buffer management/bus
controller 114 are optional components that are not necessary in
the controller 102.
[0037] FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
of non-volatile memory die 104 in more detail. Non-volatile memory
die 104 includes peripheral circuitry 141 and non-volatile memory
array 142. Non-volatile memory array 142 includes the non-volatile
memory cells used to store data. The non-volatile memory cells may
be any suitable non-volatile memory cells, including NAND flash
memory cells and/or NOR flash memory cells in a two dimensional
and/or three dimensional configuration. Peripheral circuitry 141
includes a state machine 152 that provides status information to
controller 102. Non-volatile memory die 104 further includes a data
cache 156 that caches data.
[0038] Each non-volatile memory die 104 may contain an array of
memory cells organized into multiple planes. An example NAND array
is illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0039] While a large number of global bit lines are provided in a
NAND array, only four such lines 302-308 are shown in FIG. 3 for
simplicity of explanation. A number of series connected memory cell
strings 310-324 are connected between one of these bit lines and a
reference potential. Using the memory cell string 314 as
representative, a plurality of charge storage memory cells 326-332
are connected in series with select transistors 334 and 336 at
either end of the string. When the select transistors of a string
are rendered conductive, the string is connected between its bit
line and the reference potential. One memory cell within that
string is then programmed or read at a time.
[0040] Word lines 338-344 of FIG. 3 individually extend across the
charge storage element of one memory cell in each of a number of
strings of memory cells, and gates 346 and 350 control the states
of the select transistors at each end of the strings. The memory
cell strings that share common word and control gate lines 338-350
are made to form a block 352 of memory cells that are erased
together. This block of cells contains the minimum number of cells
that are physically erasable at one time. One row of memory cells,
those along one of the word lines 338-344, are programmed at a
time. Typically, the rows of a NAND array are programmed in a
prescribed order, in this case beginning with the row along the
word line 344 closest to the end of the strings connected to ground
or another common potential. The row of memory cells along the word
line 342 is programmed next, and so on, throughout the block 352.
However, in other implementations, the rows of a NAND array are not
programmed in sequential order.
[0041] A second block 354 is similar, its strings of memory cells
being connected to the same global bit lines as the strings in the
first block 352 but having a different set of word and control gate
lines. The word and control gate lines are driven to their proper
operating voltages by row control circuits. If there is more than
one plane in the system, one memory architecture uses common word
lines extending between them. There can alternatively be more than
two planes that share common word lines. In other memory
architectures, the word lines of individual planes are separately
driven.
[0042] The memory cells may be operated to store two levels of
charge so that a single bit of data is stored in each cell. This is
typically referred to as a binary or single level cell (SLC)
memory. Alternatively, the memory cells may be operated to store
more than two detectable levels of charge in each charge storage
element or region, thereby to store more than one bit of data in
each. This latter configuration is referred to as multi level cell
(MLC) memory. Both types of memory cells may be used in a memory.
For example, binary flash memory may be used for caching data and
MLC memory may be used for longer term storage. The charge storage
elements of the memory cells are most commonly conductive floating
gates but may alternatively be non-conductive dielectric charge
trapping material.
[0043] In implementations of MLC memory operated to store two bits
of data in each memory cell, each memory cell is configured to
store four levels of charge corresponding to values of "11," "01,"
"10," and "00." Each bit of the two bits of data may represent a
page bit of a lower page or a page bit of an upper page, where the
lower page and upper page span across a series of memory cells
sharing a common word line. Typically, the less significant bit of
the two bits of data represents a page bit of a lower page and the
more significant bit of the two bits of data represents a page bit
of an upper page.
[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates one implementation of the four charge
levels used to represent two bits of data in a memory cell. A value
of "11" corresponds to an un-programmed state of the memory cell.
When programming pulses are applied to the memory cell to program a
page bit of the lower page, the level of charge is increased to
represent a value of "10" corresponding to a programmed state of
the page bit of the lower page.
[0045] For a page bit of an upper page, when the page bit of the
lower page is programmed (a value of "10"), programming pulses are
applied to the memory cell for the page bit of the upper page to
increase the level of charge to correspond to a value of "00" or
"10" depending on the desired value of the page bit of the upper
page. However, if the page bit of the lower page is not programmed
such that the memory cell is in an un-programmed state (a value of
"11"), applying programming pulses to the memory cell to program
the page bit of the upper page increases the level of charge to
represent a value of "01" corresponding to a programmed state of
the page bit of the upper page.
[0046] FIG. 5 conceptually illustrates a multiple plane arrangement
showing four planes 502-508 of memory cells. These planes 502-508
may be on a single die, on two die (two of the planes on each die)
or on four separate die. Of course, other numbers of planes, such
as 1, 2, 8, 16 or more may exist in each die of a system. The
planes are individually divided into blocks of memory cells shown
in FIG. 5 by rectangles, such as blocks 510, 512, 514 and 516,
located in respective planes 502-508. There can be dozens or
hundreds or thousands or more of blocks in each plane.
[0047] As mentioned above, a block of memory cells is the unit of
erase, the smallest number of memory cells that are physically
erasable together. Some non-volatile memory systems, for increased
parallelism, operate the blocks in larger metablock units. However,
other memory systems may utilize asynchronous memory die formations
rather than operating in larger metablock units.
[0048] In non-volatile memory systems utilizing metablock units,
one block from each plane is logically linked together to form the
metablock. The four blocks 510-516 are shown to form one metablock
518. All of the cells within a metablock are typically erased
together. The blocks used to form a metablock need not be
restricted to the same relative locations within their respective
planes, as is shown in a second metablock 520 made up of blocks
522-528. Although it is usually preferable to extend the metablocks
across all of the planes, for high system performance, the
non-volatile memory systems can be operated with the ability to
dynamically form metablocks of any or all of one, two or three
blocks in different planes. This allows the size of the metablock
to be more closely matched with the amount of data available for
storage in one programming operation.
[0049] The individual blocks are in turn divided for operational
purposes into pages of memory cells, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The
memory cells of each of the blocks 510-516, for example, are each
divided into eight pages P0-P7. Alternatively, there may be 32, 64
or more pages of memory cells within each block. The page is the
unit of data programming and reading within a block, containing the
minimum amount of data that are programmed or read at one time.
However, in order to increase the memory system operational
parallelism, such pages within two or more blocks may be logically
linked into metapages. A metapage 628 is illustrated in FIG. 6,
being formed of one physical page from each of the four blocks
510-516. The metapage 628, for example, includes the page P2 in
each of the four blocks but the pages of a metapage need not
necessarily have the same relative position within each of the
blocks.
[0050] As mentioned above, when transferring data from a first
memory block to a second memory block, such as when transferring
data from a memory block of SLC memory cells to a memory block of
MLC memory cells during an on-chip copy operation, a controller of
a non-volatile memory system performs operations to ensure that
data is correctly transferred between the two memory blocks. For
example, when a controller performs operations to move data from a
first memory block to a second memory block, a read level voltage
acquisition module of the controller may first sample the data
stored at the first memory block for errors.
[0051] In sampling the data stored at the first memory block, the
read level voltage acquisition module acquires a read level voltage
for a word line of the memory block. A read level voltage for a
word line is acquired by applying a voltage level on a word line,
and after ECC decoding, determining a number of error bits that
occur during the read at the applied voltage level. This process is
repeated for different voltage levels until the voltage level that
results in the fewest number of errors is determined. The read
level voltage is defined to be the voltage level that results in
the fewest number of errors. In some implementations, the voltage
levels that are tested are predefined in a table that is stored at
the non-volatile memory system.
[0052] The read level voltage acquisition module additionally
determines an offset voltage from the read level voltage to read
and sample data from one or more other word lines of the memory
block. The read level acquisition module determines the offset
voltage based on factors such as a life stage of the memory block,
a program/erase count of the memory block, a program/disturb count
of the memory block, a read/disturb count of the memory block,
and/or a level of data retention of the memory block. After
determining the offset voltage for one or more other word lines,
the controller utilizes the read level voltage and offset voltage
to sample data at one or more other word lines of the memory
block.
[0053] Unlike conventional techniques where the same read level
voltage is applied to all word lines of the memory block, in the
non-volatile memory systems described in the present application,
the read level voltage acquisition module is able to adaptively
determine an appropriate read level voltage and offset voltage for
word lines of a memory block as the memory cells and word lines of
the memory block change over the life of a non-volatile memory
system. Being able to adapt to the changes in memory cells and word
lines based on factors such as a life stage of a memory block, a
program/erase count of a memory block, a program/disturb count of a
memory block, a read/disturb count of a memory block, and/or a
level of data retention of a memory block allows the controller of
the non-volatile memory system to prevent errors from being
transferred between memory blocks when data is transferred from one
memory block to another.
[0054] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of one implementation of a method for
sampling data of a memory block. At step 702, a controller of a
non-volatile memory system determines a need to sample data stored
at a first group of memory cells, such as a set of single level
memory cells of a first memory block. In some implementations, the
controller may determines to sample the data prior to transferring
the data to a second set of memory cells, such as a group of triple
level memory cells of a second memory block.
[0055] At step 704, a read level voltage acquisition module
determines a read level voltage for a first word line of the memory
block. In some implementations, the read level voltage acquisition
module determines the read level of voltages by applying a number
of voltages to the word line and determining the voltage level that
results in the fewest number of errors. The read level voltage
acquisition module defines the read level to be the determined
voltage level that resulted in the fewest number of errors.
Examples of techniques for determining a read level voltage can be
found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,713,380, assigned to SanDisk Technologies,
Inc.
[0056] At step 706, the read level voltage acquisition module both
determines that a second word line of the memory block is
associated with the first word line of the memory block and
determines an offset voltage for the second word line of the memory
block. In some implementations, to determine that the second word
line is associated with the first word line and to determine the
offset voltage, the read level acquisition module accesses one or
more lookup tables such as one or more offset voltage tables stored
at the non-volatile memory system. When accessing the one or more
offset voltage tables, the read level voltage acquisition module
may further utilize one or more factors such as a life stage of the
memory block, a program/erase count of the memory block, a
program/disturb count of the memory block, a read/disturb count of
the memory block, and/or a level of data retention of the memory
block to determine the offset voltage.
[0057] For example, as shown in Tables 1 and 2 below, the read
level voltage acquisition module may utilize two tables to
determine for a second word line of a memory block whose P/E count
indicates that the memory block is at mid-life stage, and whose
read/disturb count is between 5,000 and 10,000, that the offset
voltage is 3 digital-analog conversion ("DAC"). In some
implementations, 1 DAC represents 100 mV.
[0058] In the example below, the read level voltage acquisition
module initially accesses a table to determine which word line the
second word line is related to. Table 1 illustrates that the second
word line of the memory block is associated with the first word
line of the memory block.
[0059] The read level voltage acquisition module then accesses
another table to determine offset voltage for the second word line.
Because the memory block is at mid-life stage and the read/disturb
count for the memory block is between 5,000 and 10,000, the offset
voltage is 3 DAC from the acquired read level voltage of the first
word line.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Example Word Line Association Table Word
Line Associated Word Line Word line 0 Acquired Read Level Voltage
Word line 1 Acquired Read Level Voltage Word line 2 Word line 1
Word line 3 Acquired Read Level Voltage Word line 4 Word line 0
Word line 5 Word line 3 Word line 6 Word line 3 . . . . . . Word
line n Acquired Read Level Voltage
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Example Offset Voltage Lookup Table for
Second Word Line R/D Count R/D Count 0-5,000 5,000-10,000 P/E Count
Acquired Read Level Acquired Read Level Beginning of Life Voltage +
1 DAC Voltage + 2 DAC P/E Count Acquired Read Level Acquired Read
Level Middle of Life Voltage + 2 DAC Voltage + 3 DAC P/E Count
Acquired Read Level Acquired Read Level End of Life Voltage + 3 DAC
Voltage + 4 DAC
[0060] In some implementations, the controller and/or the read
level voltage acquisition module may generate one or more offset
voltage lookup tables based on an analysis of empirical data
observed at the non-volatile memory system or based on an analysis
of empirical data from other similar non-volatile memory system. In
further implementations, the controller and/or the read level
voltage acquisition module may generate the offset voltage lookup
table by periodically acquiring relationships between the different
word lines of the memory block. The generation of one or more
offset voltage lookup tables is described in more detail below in
conjunction with FIGS. 8 and 9.
[0061] At step 708, the controller and/or the read level voltage
acquisition module applies the read level voltage acquired at step
704 and the offset voltage acquired at step 706 to the second word
line to sample data of the memory block. At step 710, the
controller and/or the read level acquisition module determines
whether one or more errors exist in the sampled data of the memory
block.
[0062] When the controller determines that one or more errors exist
in the sampled data, the controller repeats the above-described
process beginning at step 704 with the read level voltage
acquisition module determining a read level voltage for a first
word line of the memory block.
[0063] When the controller determines that errors do not exist
within the sampled data, the method ends.
[0064] It will be appreciated that the above-described method may
be implemented for multiple word lines during the sampling of a
memory block. For example, when determining the offset voltage for
the second word line, the read level acquisition module may also
determine an offset voltage for third, fourth, etc. word lines for
use in sampling data of the memory block.
[0065] FIG. 8 is a flow chart of one method for updating one or
more offset voltage lookup tables that include read level voltage
relationships between word lines of a memory block. At step 802, a
read level voltage acquisition module of a controller of a
non-volatile memory system determines a need to generate an updated
offset voltage lookup table during operation of the non-volatile
memory system. In some implementations, the read level voltage
acquisition module may determine a need to generate the offset
voltage lookup table after a number of errors within sampled data
exceeds a threshold; periodically after a defined number of
program, erase, read, and/or disturb operations occurs at the
non-volatile memory system; based on a time of a write to increase
date retention; and/or any other reason that may indicate that the
voltage offsets within the offset voltage lookup table may no
longer be valid.
[0066] At step 804, the controller samples data read from word
lines of the memory block, and at step 806, the controller
determines whether a number of errors within the sampled data
exceeds a threshold. In one example, the threshold may be set at 30
bits in error within an ECC doe word. However, it will be
appreciated that other thresholds may be used.
[0067] When the number of errors within the sampled data does not
exceed the threshold, the controller determines at step 808 that
the one or more offset lookup tables are valid and does not
generate updated tables.
[0068] However, when the number of errors within the sampled data
exceeds the threshold, the controller acquires the read level
voltages for the word lines of the memory block at step 810. Based
on the acquired read level voltages, at step 812, the controller
generates one or more updated offset voltage lookup tables.
Updating the offset voltage lookup tables may include both changing
an amount of offset voltage added to an acquired read level voltage
and changing which word lines are related to each other within the
offset voltage lookup table.
[0069] For example, prior to an update, offset voltage lookup
tables may show that word line 0 is related to word line 1 such
that an offset of 1 DAC should be applied to word line 1 in
addition to a read level acquired at word line 0. Additionally,
prior to an update, the offset voltage lookup tables may show that
word line 0 is also related to word line 4 such that an offset of 2
DAC should be applied to word line 4 in addition to a read level
acquired at word line 0.
[0070] After the update, the offset voltage lookup tables may show
that word line 0 is still related to word line 1. However, rather
than an offset of 1 DAC, the offset voltage lookup table shows that
2 DAC should be applied to word line 1 in addition to a read level
acquired at word line 0.
[0071] Further, after the update, the offset voltage lookup tables
may show that word line 0 is no longer related to word line 4.
Instead, the offset voltage lookup table may show that word line 4
is not related to any other word line or the offset voltage lookup
table may show that word line 4 is related to a new word line. For
example, the offset voltage lookup table may show that word line 2
is related to word line 4 such that an offset of 2 DAC should be
applied to word line 4 in addition to a read level acquired at word
line 2.
[0072] FIG. 9 is a flow chart of another method for generating one
or more offset voltage lookup tables that include read level
voltage relationships between word lines of a memory block. At step
902, a read level voltage acquisition module of a controller of a
non-volatile memory system determines a need to generate an updated
offset voltage lookup table during operation of the non-volatile
memory system. As discussed above, the read level voltage
acquisition module may determine a need to generate the offset
voltage lookup table after a number of errors within sampled data
exceeds a threshold; periodically after a defined number of
program, erase, read, and/or disturb operations occurs at the
non-volatile memory system; after a set period of time in order to
improve data retention; and/or any other reason that may indicate
that the voltage offsets within the offset voltage lookup table may
no longer be valid.
[0073] At step 904, the read level voltage acquisition module
determines read level voltage relationships between the word lines
of a memory block based on empirical data. In some implementations,
the read level acquisition module analyzes empirical data collected
at similar non-volatile memory systems and stored at the
non-volatile memory system to determine the read level voltages
relationships. By analyzing the empirical data, the read level
voltage acquisition unit is able to determine historically, which
word lines have the same read level voltages and/or which word
lines have read level voltages that are offset by defined amounts,
such as +1 DAC or +2 DAC.
[0074] In some implementations, as part of step 904, the read level
voltage acquisition module may test the read level voltages that
were determined based on the empirical data to examine if any
errors are within the sampled data. When errors are detected, the
read level voltage acquisition module may acquire a read level
voltage of one or more word lines where errors were present in the
sampled data in order to dynamically adjust the read level voltages
based on actual performance of the memory block.
[0075] At step 906, the read level voltage acquisition module
generates and/or updates an offset voltage lookup table based on
the relationships between the word lines of the memory block
determined at step 904.
[0076] FIGS. 1-9 illustrate systems and methods for sampling data
at a non-volatile memory system. As discussed above, non-volatile
memory systems may utilize one or more offset voltage lookup tables
that allow a controller and a read level voltage acquisition module
of the controller to efficiently verify data at a first memory
block of the non-volatile memory system before transferring the
data to a second memory block of the non-volatile memory system. To
efficiently verify data, the controller and the read level voltage
acquisition module sample data stored at a memory block based on
relationships between word lines of the memory blocks and
characteristics of the non-volatile memory system such as a life
stage of the memory block, a program/erase count of the memory
block, a program/disturb count of the memory block, a read/disturb
count of the memory block, and/or a level of data retention of the
memory block. Further, during operation of the non-volatile memory
system, the read level acquisition module is able to dynamically
update the relationships between the word lines of a memory
block.
[0077] It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be
regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be
understood that it is the following claims, including all
equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of
this invention.
[0078] For example, in the present application, semiconductor
memory devices such as those described in the present application
may include volatile memory devices, such as dynamic random access
memory ("DRAM") or static random access memory ("SRAM") devices,
non-volatile memory devices, such as resistive random access memory
("ReRAM"), electrically erasable programmable read only memory
("EEPROM"), flash memory (which can also be considered a subset of
EEPROM), ferroelectric random access memory ("FRAM"), and
magnetoresistive random access memory ("MRAM"), and other
semiconductor elements capable of storing information. Each type of
memory device may have different configurations. For example, flash
memory devices may be configured in a NAND or a NOR
configuration.
[0079] The memory devices can be formed from passive and/or active
elements, in any combinations. By way of non-limiting example,
passive semiconductor memory elements include ReRAM device
elements, which in some embodiments include a resistivity switching
storage element, such as an anti-fuse, phase change material, etc.,
and optionally a steering element, such as a diode, etc. Further by
way of non-limiting example, active semiconductor memory elements
include EEPROM and flash memory device elements, which in some
embodiments include elements containing a charge storage region,
such as a floating gate, conductive nanoparticles, or a charge
storage dielectric material.
[0080] Multiple memory elements may be configured so that they are
connected in series or so that each element is individually
accessible. By way of non-limiting example, flash memory devices in
a NAND configuration (NAND memory) typically contain memory
elements connected in series. A NAND memory array may be configured
so that the array is composed of multiple strings of memory in
which a string is composed of multiple memory elements sharing a
single bit line and accessed as a group. Alternatively, memory
elements may be configured so that each element is individually
accessible, e.g., a NOR memory array. NAND and NOR memory
configurations are exemplary, and memory elements may be otherwise
configured.
[0081] The semiconductor memory elements located within and/or over
a substrate may be arranged in two or three dimensions, such as a
two dimensional memory structure or a three dimensional memory
structure.
[0082] In a two dimensional memory structure, the semiconductor
memory elements are arranged in a single plane or a single memory
device level. Typically, in a two dimensional memory structure,
memory elements are arranged in a plane (e.g., in an x-z direction
plane) which extends substantially parallel to a major surface of a
substrate that supports the memory elements. The substrate may be a
wafer over or in which the layer of the memory elements are formed
or it may be a carrier substrate which is attached to the memory
elements after they are formed. As a non-limiting example, the
substrate may include a semiconductor such as silicon.
[0083] The memory elements may be arranged in the single memory
device level in an ordered array, such as in a plurality of rows
and/or columns. However, the memory elements may be arrayed in
non-regular or non-orthogonal configurations. The memory elements
may each have two or more electrodes or contact lines, such as bit
lines and word lines.
[0084] A three dimensional memory array is arranged so that memory
elements occupy multiple planes or multiple memory device levels,
thereby forming a structure in three dimensions (i.e., in the x, y
and z directions, where the y direction is substantially
perpendicular and the x and z directions are substantially parallel
to the major surface of the substrate).
[0085] As a non-limiting example, a three dimensional memory
structure may be vertically arranged as a stack of multiple two
dimensional memory device levels. As another non-limiting example,
a three dimensional memory array may be arranged as multiple
vertical columns (e.g., columns extending substantially
perpendicular to the major surface of the substrate, i.e., in the y
direction) with each column having multiple memory elements in each
column. The columns may be arranged in a two dimensional
configuration, e.g., in an x-z plane, resulting in a three
dimensional arrangement of memory elements with elements on
multiple vertically stacked memory planes. Other configurations of
memory elements in three dimensions can also constitute a three
dimensional memory array.
[0086] By way of non-limiting example, in a three dimensional NAND
memory array, the memory elements may be coupled together to form a
NAND string within a single horizontal (e.g., x-z) memory device
levels. Alternatively, the memory elements may be coupled together
to form a vertical NAND string that traverses across multiple
horizontal memory device levels. Other three dimensional
configurations can be envisioned wherein some NAND strings contain
memory elements in a single memory level while other strings
contain memory elements which span through multiple memory levels.
Three dimensional memory arrays may also be designed in a NOR
configuration and in a ReRAM configuration.
[0087] Typically, in a monolithic three dimensional memory array,
one or more memory device levels are formed above a single
substrate. Optionally, the monolithic three dimensional memory
array may also have one or more memory layers at least partially
within the single substrate. As a non-limiting example, the
substrate may include a semiconductor such as silicon. In a
monolithic three dimensional array, the layers constituting each
memory device level of the array are typically formed on the layers
of the underlying memory device levels of the array. However,
layers of adjacent memory device levels of a monolithic three
dimensional memory array may be shared or have intervening layers
between memory device levels.
[0088] Then again, two dimensional arrays may be formed separately
and then packaged together to form a non-monolithic memory device
having multiple layers of memory. For example, non-monolithic
stacked memories can be constructed by forming memory levels on
separate substrates and then stacking the memory levels atop each
other. The substrates may be thinned or removed from the memory
device levels before stacking, but as the memory device levels are
initially formed over separate substrates, the resulting memory
arrays are not monolithic three dimensional memory arrays. Further,
multiple two dimensional memory arrays or three dimensional memory
arrays (monolithic or non-monolithic) may be formed on separate
chips and then packaged together to form a stacked-chip memory
device.
[0089] Associated circuitry is typically required for operation of
the memory elements and for communication with the memory elements.
As non-limiting examples, memory devices may have circuitry used
for controlling and driving memory elements to accomplish functions
such as programming and reading. This associated circuitry may be
on the same substrate as the memory elements and/or on a separate
substrate. For example, a controller for memory read-write
operations may be located on a separate controller chip and/or on
the same substrate as the memory elements.
[0090] One of skill in the art will recognize that this invention
is not limited to the two dimensional and three dimensional
exemplary structures described but cover all relevant memory
structures within the spirit and scope of the invention as
described herein and as understood by one of skill in the art.
* * * * *